Monster Rancher 4

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Click here for detailed information, several new images, and early impressions of Tecmo's next adventure.

By Jeremy Dunham

With eight different titles already released for Sony and handheld formats, the Monster Rancher series has managed to become one of the more prolific simulators of the last couple of years. A major player in the whole Pokemon-type videogame craze of the early millennium, Monster Farm (as it's known in Japan) has definitely done its part towards furthering the genre. Introducing variable attacks based on distance, mixing up creature generation via the encoding of various CDs, and altering the types of training your monster receives are all elements of play that the series has either created or standardized. To say that it's influential is an understatement, and to say that it has a dedicated following isn't giving it credit enough.

So now we find ourselves just over two weeks away from the anticipated Japanese release of the ninth game in the series, Monster Rancher 4. Powered by the requests of its fans and redesigned to offer a more flexible form of combat, MR4 has made one decidedly important advance: it's no longer confined to your character's home base. Incorporating somewhat linear third-person RPG elements, this new version of the game allows your character to get up and leave from the restrictions of a menu screen. Traveling into town, accepting fetch and deliver quests, and exploring assorted areas for treasure now play an essential role in completing the experience.

But that's not to say that the game is narrowed by a series of random retrieval missions. Though Monster Rancher 4 certainly allows its players to leave their farm with no motivation, the main focus for adventuring centers around the narrative-heavy storyline. Said to include more conversation than a typical PS2 RPG, Monster Rancher 4 offers in upwards of 20-30 hours of text before finally coming to an end. Of course, that's an estimate based on the speedier side of things and according to producer Satoshi Kanematsu, "It will take much, much longer if you concentrate on doing everything you can."

Details on the story itself are a little vague; with the only information available centering on the main character named Fan. An elite student and impeccable citizen, Fan is suddenly kicked out of school and shunned by his friends for reasons unknown. Nobody knows how or why this has happened and the plot moves towards explaining this more accurately. Not to be outdone by some of the more popular relationship/RPGs, however, Monster Rancher 4 also offers what could end up becoming a romantic interest for Fan right from the beginning. Known as Rio, Fan's attractive young companion has the power to speak with monsters and as a result has been treated as a freak for her entire life. Together they find a common link and team up with a nameless professor to use their ranching skills for the common good. Or at least, it's something like that.

Once the adventure begins, Monster Farm resembles the earlier titles in that you must generate an initial creature and set up a schedule on your ranch. Given the opportunity to train the beast in five classic categories (Life, Strength, Intelligence, Speed, and Toughness), you can pre-arrange your itinerary for up to eight weeks, and continue to participate in mandatory and optional tournaments or travel to town for supplies. But here's where the game starts to differ from past versions: You can go adventuring on your weekends.